Maersk Drilling Axes Dozens of Staff
Maersk Drilling USA is laying off 84 employees who work aboard the Maersk Viking (UDW drillship), located in the Gulf of Mexico, and report directly to the company’s office in Houston, Houston Chronicle reported quoting data sent to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
The employees, who received notification of the layoffs on Jan. 12, report to the company's office at 2500 CityWest Boulevard. They will continue to work for the next two months until their employment is terminated, according to the WARN notice.
The termination will likely be permanent unless the company secures a new contract for the Viking.
The Maersk Viking drillship was delivered to Maersk Drilling in February 2014 by Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje-Si, South Korea.
Previously, the Maersk Viking was operating for Exxon Mobil Corp. on the Julia field in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico up until Dec. 2017, according to a company press release.